Just Watch Me
by heyprincess
Summary: You're crazy if you think Stefan's going to let her go without a fight. Elena/Damon
1. Realizations

**A/N**: I've rated this story T, _for now_. The rating may change to M though, depending on whether or not people would like a little Delena lovin'. I would like Damon to myself, but I'm willing to share with Elena. If she asks nicely. Maybe.

**PS**, this story is not only Damon/Elena, it's more of a Damon/Elena/Stefan love triangle, as Stefan will most definitely fight for her tooth and nail. It _will_ end with DE though, so don't worry! Please review :) this is my first story so I'm a bit nervous. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Elena lay in Stefan's bed at the boarding house, engulfed in the thick comforter and her boyfriend's arms. She stared at a sleeping Stefan's chiseled features and smiled softly, ghosting a kiss over his slightly open lips. She found his deep breathing calming, and she could hear his heartbeat when she snuggled in closer to him. Maybe she could rest for even just a little bit longer, she decided. The familiar noises around her lulled Elena into a relaxed state, and her breathing began to slow.

She felt good in this moment, despite having found her uncle – no, father; she had to keep reminding herself of that – dead on her kitchen floor, gruesomely stabbed in the gut, his fingers hanging by a thread of skin onto his mutilated hand. Elena shuddered at the memory. _Katherine. _That bitch had done more than enough damage, she decided. On top of that, they'd found Jeremy not breathing, bottle of pills in hand. It had been diagnosed immediately as an overdose. He had been able to get his stomach pumped, but had been moody since he woke, yelling at the nurses and refusing to eat. Jenna too was wrecked, and wouldn't speak with anyone. Elena felt like she'd been at the hospital all night, sobbing next to her silent aunt. As everything flooded back to her, she wished she could sleep forever. All of a sudden a creak in the hallway could be heard, and she froze. Damn, she was paranoid lately. Not that anyone could blame her, she'd been through so much over the past few days.

With adrenaline pumping through her system at the slightest sound, she knew falling back asleep would be hopeless. Elena sat up, running a hand through her mussed hair. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, grimacing. She looked like hell too: dark bags resided under her tired eyes, her skin was blotchy and her eyes were red from all the crying she seemed to be doing. To say she was on edge was the understatement of the year.

"Well, lookie who's up," a familiar voice drawled from the doorway. Elena whipped her head to glance at the speaker, her heart beating out of her chest. Oh god, it was just Damon. She exhaled loudly and dropped her head into her hands.

"Get a grip Elena, get a grip, get a grip, get a _grip_," she muttered under her breath. Damon was by her side in a second, his cool hands feeling like heaven as they danced against the sweaty skin on her face.

"Hey, hey. What's up?" he turned her towards him, looking deep into her eyes as if doing that would allow him to read her mind. She sighed loudly, pushing him away from her, slightly embarrassed at him seeing her face so bare of makeup.

"Oh, I don't know Damon. It's not like I just saw my father after he was brutally murdered by _your _vampire ex-girlfriend, or found my brother practically dead after he attempted to commit suicide. I'm just fucking _peachy_," she spat, agitated. Damon looked torn between being taken aback, or just smirking at her. After his initial shock he settled on the latter.

"Elena Gilbert, Curser Extraordinaire," he waggled his finger at her, his voice jokingly reprimanding. "Naughty, naughty – I like it." She cracked a smile at him then, feeling the slightest bit of her lost sanity return to her.

"Felt kinda good to get it off my chest," Elena admitted, still smiling slightly.

"I know something else that would feel _really_ good to get off your chest," he purred into her ear, blatantly staring at her chest. She pushed at his chest, caught between laughing and blushing. Her laughter overtook her, and soon she was practically hysterical. He watched her in amusement. "Someone did _not_ sleep much last night," he quipped. Then she quieted down, and looked at him. _Really_ looked at him.

"Thanks," she said quietly, although her voice still seemed to fill the room. He looked bewildered.

"What'd I do?" his forehead creased with confusion. Elena blushed deeper, having thought he was trying to get her mind off of everything that had taken place over the past couple days. Of course she was wrong, he didn't do that. Ever. Except he did, she realized. He did it for her. All the time.

"Nevermind," she said quickly, flashing him a quick smile as jumbled thoughts flew through her mind. He squinted at her, still confused, but then realization washed over his handsome face.

"I make you feel better, don't I?" he leaned in close to her face and smiled widely, blue eyes flashing. "I make you _forget_. I make you _haaappy_." She returned his smile, face hurting from all the laughter.

"Maybe," she shrugged nonchalantly. "But I'll be damned if I tell you that."

"Oh no?" he smirked at Elena, about to continue teasing her.

"Mmrgh," Stefan rolled over. "El_ena_." He grasped around for her wildly, and popped one eye open when he didn't feel her near. She barely had time to register the mischievious smile on his face when his hands were on her ribs and she was squealing for mercy.

"Ste-_fan_!" She giggled, writhing around on the bed, feet kicking in every which direction. "Stoppit, _please._" Elena gasped for air, laughing harder than she ever had before. Stefan pulled her close to his body then, laughing into her hair. Damon turned his head away from the couple, a frown overtaking his features. He still hated the thought of Stefan's hands on her. Ever since Damon had kissed Elena – _Katherine_, damnit, it was _Katherine_. It was always _Katherine_ – he hadn't been able to justify his feelings for her as friendship. For the first time in 145 years of death and destruction and _not feeling anything, _the unfamiliar strains of love in his chest couldn't be mistaken as anything else.

Suddenly Stefan noticed Damon sitting on the bed as well, and he tensed visibly. Elena's laughter ceased, and she blew stray strands of hair out of her face. "What are you doing here?" he asked his brother suspiciously. Ever since Isobel had given away that valuable tidbit of information ("Because he's in _love_with you," she had said), Stefan hadn't been as trusting of the elder Salvatore.

"Chillz, _bro._ I was just leaving," he stood up and sauntered into the dark hallway, and away from any sight that had the potential to make him even more nauseous than he already felt. It was definitely time for a drink. Preferably something with a high percentage of alcohol content. As he walked down the winding staircase into the kitchen, he could hear Elena speaking to Stefan, her tone harsh.

"Is it really that _hard_ for you to be nice to your brother?" she whispered angrily. Damon smirked, she was trying to stick up for him – cute.

"He's an asshole, Elena," Stefan sighed. "You know it's true."

"I don't care if he's an asshole or not, Stef. He's your _brother_."

"Siblings are overrated," he joked, trying to lighten the mood, but Elena wouldn't have it.

"Well you're stuck with him, can't you at least _try_ to get along? I don't understand you two," she sent a dirty look in his direction.

"Alright, why are you so concerned about this?" Anger (or was it jealousy?) crept into Stefan's voice now. "You're always _oh-so-worried_ about _Damon_. I don't understand it."

"So now I'm not allowed to care about him?" Elena jerked away from Stefan and stood up, hands on her hips.

"Sometimes it's just a little complicating to figure out who you're actually dating, that's all," he sighed, hating to fight with her.

"We're _friends_, Stefan. I don't feel for him that way. You need to get over this, _now._"

"I just don't want you around him, Elena." Stefan frowned, continuing. "He's not a good influence, you've seen what he can do. You need to realize that he's not going to change; he's the same as he always was. As conniving as he always was, as violent as he always was-" he ticked Damon's numerous qualities off on his fingers.

"So you're saying people aren't capable of change?" Elena's voice rose, shaking with anger. "May I remind you that _you're_ practically the one who turned him, and look at you now. You _changed_, Stefan. What makes you think Damon can't either? And are you really so insecure about our relationship that-"

"_Enough_, Elena!" Stefan yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them a bit. Fear entered her eyes for a brief moment, and he quickly removed his hands from her, but the damage was done.

"And who's the asshole now?" Elena maintained her strong facade, tilting her chin up and staring him down. He was out the door so fast, she barely realized he was gone. And only then did she allow herself to sink to the floor, hands touching the places he had grabbed her moments before.

* * *

"I'm going out to feed," Stefan scowled, storming into the living room. He pulled his leather jacket over his broad, defined shoulders, making his way towards the front door.

"And the brooding forehead returns," Damon drawled, tipping his almost-empty bottle of scotch in his brother's direction, before allowing the smooth, amber liquid to slide down his throat.

"Shut up, Damon," he glared at his older brother. Damon stuck his lower lip out.

"Aw, did Elena hurt my wittle brother's feelings by pleading my case? Suck it up, man. She loves me more," he winked. Stefan was at his throat in a second.

"Fuck you," he grunted, his face vamping out.

"Now, now, is this really the approach you're going for?" he smirked, tilting his head. In half a second Stefan was flying across the room, crashing into a mirrored armoire. Shards of the reflective glass flew in every direction, cutting into the youngest Salvatore. "You just never learn, do you," he growled. "And would you look at that? Seven _more_ years of misery."

Elena heard the crash from the bedroom, and darted downstairs. Running into the room, she skidded straight into Damon, who was glaring at his younger brother. She glanced wildly around the parlor, her eyes locking in on Stefan, who was struggling to sit upright. Her worry overtook her anger, and she practically flew to his side, pulling pieces of mirror out of the wounds covering his body.

"What the hell Damon?" Elena turned towards him, her face a mixture between disappointment and anger. Mostly anger, he decided, as the glare she had fixed upon him could kill. "I _know_ you could hear us up there. Way to prove me wrong."

"I told you," Stefan winced as Elena pulled out piece after piece. "He's an asshole."

"Yep, that's me." Damon rolled his eyes, fangs receding back into his gums. "Always the ass-" A knock interrupted him mid-sentence, and everyone stilled. "Oh, don't worry, I'll get it," he said sarcastically when neither of them made a move to do so. As soon as he opened the thick, wooden door, Alaric rushed in, completely out of breath.

"We have a big problem. A _big _problem. One could even say a _huge _problem," he breathed out, hands on his knees. Damon's eyes glinted with curiosity, and even Stefan's face didn't show a trace of animosity as he stood up, pulling the final shards out of his palm.

"Spill," Damon nodded at the history teacher, face serious now. He was sure that whatever Alaric was going on about _probably_ wasn't something he actually wanted to hear. The "_big_ problem" part ensured that.

"Jeremy died," Alaric breathed out. Elena's face immediately lost all color, and she stared at him in shock before bursting into strangled sobs. Damon and Stefan sped to either side of her, attempting to comfort the distraught girl. They glared at each other over Elena's head, and Alaric would have been amused if the next seven words out of his mouth weren't "and then he came back to life."

Elena promptly passed out, with a sickening thud as she hit the floor.


	2. Breakdown

**A/N**: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews everyone! They made my day :) and I'm sorry for this chapter and the last being so short, I'll hopefully be lengthening the next few. And the rating for this story will most likely be bumped up, just a warning! Hope you all enjoy :)

* * *

"Wake up, wake up," Damon chided, his eyes filled with concern for the brunette lying on the floor in front of him. Stefan's eyes shot daggers at his brother.

"I got it from here," he commanded, shifting Elena's body towards him. Not wanting her to wake up to them fighting _again_, Damon let it be, rolling his eyes at his extremely paranoid younger brother. Instead, he focused his anger on Alaric, who stood there sheepishly, staring at Elena.

"So I'm not sure if you've heard," Damon began slowly. "But around here we use this thing called, oh, let me think – sensitivity. Well, Stefan uses it. But you will too."

"She had to know," Alaric justified.

"Yeah, well 'Jeremy died'? Not cutting it," he strode closer to Alaric, leaning in close to his face, and growled, "You _will_ guard your words around her, does she look like she can handle this right now? I'd say ask her, but wait, she's _not conscious_."

"Easy tiger," Stefan rolled his eyes. "Alaric's right, she would have found out sooner or later anyways. Preferably later, but we'll work with it."

"Whatever," Damon shugged it off, disliking the thought of being ganged up on by Stefan and Alaric. "So if you're going to be at all useful, fill us in."

"Well," Alaric began, slightly miffed. "Jeremy was doing perfectly fine. The paramedics pumped his stomach, and he actually seemed to be feeling well, despite his less-than-chipper attitude," he said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "The nurse made us wait out in the corridor during the hourly check-up, so we stood right outside the room. Less than a minute later we heard his heart-rate moniter go off, and we rushed in to check on him. The nurse is gone, and Jeremy's dead. The first thing I notice is that his neck is at a slightly strange angle. So of course, warning bells are already sounding off in my head. I told Jenna to run and get a doctor, which ended up being the perfect distraction. No use in her finding out about this yet, that would complicate things so much further. Anyways, about five minutes later, he opens his eyes, hungry as hell. Of course the doctors all blamed it on the machine, saying something must have gone wrong, which also worked in our favor. But why would anyone want to kill Jeremy? Sound like the work of anyone either of you know?" he glanced pointedly at Damon and Stefan.

"Katherine," Damon growled. "It's gotta be her. That bitch is going to _pay_ for everything she's done." He glanced over at Stefan, whose fists were clenched at his sides. "First John – who I must say I'm happy to be rid of, Elena's birth father or not – and now Jeremy?"

"Who's next, Elena?" Stefan joked bitterly, before realization dawned on both his and Damon's faces. The history teacher looked back and forth between them.

"Shit, Elena's next." Alaric glanced down at her still form in horror.

"I wouldn't say next. She's definitely doing this to get back at her though," Damon muttered. "Katherine likes to play games; she won't kill her straight off the bat. She'll torture her first. She could just kill all the people Elena cares about: Bonnie, Jenna, Caroline, Matt, _Stefan_."

"And _you_," Stefan admitted unhappily. "Alaric too," he nodded his head towards thier companion.

"She's sick. She kills people for pleasure," Damon explained to Alaric. "She loves to make them suffer. It's all just a power trip for her."

"Wow, sounds like someone else I know," Stefan glared at his brother. "A match made in hell."

"He's capable of change, Stefan," he mimicked Elena's voice, earning himself a dirty look from Stefan. "And she's right. I have changed. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't killed anyone in _months_." Stefan had to grudgingly agree, he _had_ noticed. "Plus you're so much hotter than Stefan, Damon. He's just so broody, and _not _hot, and.. broody," his voice lowered as he trailed off. "I can't do it, sorry. I just can't. You make me stoop this low, Stefan." Alaric stifled a laugh, and then Stefan's glare was directed at him as well. He put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, I didn't say it. But one of you _does_ need to get Jeremy," he returned to the problem at hand, glancing between both of them nervously, wringing his hands. "I don't know what to do with him."

"Alright," Damon gave in. "Saint Stefan obviously will _not_ be removed from his lovely lass over there, so where is the kid?"

"In the car," Alaric informed him. Damon and Stefan froze, staring at Alaric with wide eyes.

"You, Ric, are incredibly, insanely, immensely _stupid._ He's probably halfway through his third civilian by now," Damon snarled through clenched teeth. Running out the door, he saw Alaric's modest Toyota sitting in the driveway, Jeremy still inside, head down. He let out a sigh of relief, until Jeremy's face popped into view, staring wild-eyed at him through the windshield. It was covered in blood.

* * *

When Elena awoke, she wasn't quite sure where she was. The first thing she heard were familiar voices fading in and out, swirling around her. Then the room came into view, a hazy mess of blurred furniture and faces. After what seemed like forever, everything came into focus and she groaned, the attention of the two males focusing on her immediately.

"Elena!" Stefan rushed to her side, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles. She groaned again in response, her hand coming up to meet the back of her head. It felt tender, and her sharp intake of breath alerted the others to her pain.

"Just lie down baby," Stefan cooed quietly. "I'll get you an ice pack for that. Here, I'll move you to the couch, okay?" She managed to give him the slightest semblance of a nod, and he swiftly moved her, laying her down gently on the soft velvet.

Everything was flooding back to her now, and she attempted to sit up again. "Jeremy?" she croaked. Alaric remembered Damon's words, and knelt down beside her, thinking of an explanation that wouldn't anger the vampire further. Getting killed _again_ wasn't exactly his top priority at the moment.

"Don't worry Elena," he told her, his fatherly instinct for the girl taking over. "Jeremy's perfectly fine, he's alive and well." The lie slipped out of his mouth easily, and she seemed to believe it as she slumped backwards against the couch, exhausted by the day's events.

"Just go back to sleep, okay?' Stefan told her gently, rubbing her face with the back of his hand.

"I'm scared, Stefan," her voice seemed quiet, and her eyes were fluttering closed.

"Hey, hey, there's nothing to be scared of. I'm here, Elena," he reassured her.

"Where's Damon?" she murmured sleepily, not noticing the way he stiffened when she asked.

"He's outside," he answered gruffly. "Why?"

"Just thought he'd be here," she yawned loudly. "He always is." Stefan nodded solemnly, understanding. It's true, he hadn't expected his brother to leave either. He was grateful for it, but knew Damon was probably worried.

"He had some.. things to take care of," Stefan reassured her, thinking back to Jeremy. He glanced over at Alaric, who had been trying to capture his attention. The older man thumbed a finger at the door.

"Can you go make sure everything's alright?" he mouthed at Stefan, who reluctantly nodded, hating to be pried away from Elena. He turned back to his girlfriend to tell her he would be back in a minute, but she was already dozing off, whimpering slightly in her sleep.

* * *

Jeremy's fangs were out, and the veins around his eyes were bulging. Blood seeped out of the corners of his mouth, dripping onto the dashboard. Damon blinked, hesitating for only the slightest of seconds. Then he was in the car, prying Jeremy away from the carcass he had on his lap. He pulled him out of the vehicle and onto the driveway. Elena's younger brother looked terrified, and he began babbling. "I don't know what happened," he shook his head, almost as if coming out of a trance. "She was just there, and I was so hungry Damon. I was _so, so _hungry, and I couldn't control it. I didn't mean to hurt her, and now she's-" he broke off, tears streaming down his face now. "What's happening to me?" he whispered, his spirit seemingly crushed.

"Listen to me, Jeremy," Damon twisted his face so that the boy was looking at him. "You're going to be fine, it's okay. You're in the beginnings of your transition, and you need to get inside, _now._" Jeremy nodded, holding on to Damon's every word. "You're going to be very hungry for a while now, okay? You'll stay with us – we'll show you how to control it. Now get inside, tell Stefan what you just told me. But stay _away_ from your sister, you have the potential to kill her right now. Do you understand that?" Jeremy's eyes widened at the thought, and he nodded again, looking lost.

He followed Damon's instructions, and started cautiously towards the house. Just as he was approaching the door, Stefan burst outside. "How's he doing?" he called out, and was about to say more when he realized Jeremy was standing in front of him. "Oh god, oh my god. Jeremy get inside, get Alaric to wash your face before Elena sees you. She would have a _fit_." Jeremy nodded at this too, and continued inside the house, calling Alaric's name.

"Alaric was right; this _is_ a huge problem. How are we supposed to search for Katherine _and_ teach a newbie how to control his cravings?" Damon said unhappily. He sped over to where Stefan stood.

Stefan scratched the nape of his neck, and sighed. "I don't know, Damon. But Jeremy has to move in. There's no way we can turn him loose in Mystic Falls. That's practically begging to be found. How much longer can this town blame everything on animal attacks?"

"That's exactly what I told him," Damon nodded. "But since Elena practically lives here already, that could pose some problems. We can keep an eye on everyone now though, I guess. Pop some vervain into Elena's food, and warn Jeremy. It'll reassure him to stay away from her."

"What about Jenna?" he asked. "Katherine's been invited in. We can't just leave her there, she'll be killed faster than you can blink."

"Moving in with Ric. I don't know what kind of bullshit story he made up, but it worked. She's staying at his place for a few days, hopefully we can wrap this up before then," Damon said grimly. "By the way, did Elena wake up yet? She hit her head pretty good when she fell, I hope it isn't a concussion. She's been in enough hospitals."

"Yeah, she's awake now. Well, she was. When I left her she was sleeping again; she's exhausted." Stefan filled him in. "And she's scared Damon. With good reason, obviously, but I don't know what to say to her – how to make it okay. When you're around us, death is pretty much in the contract."

"Mind if I check on her?" Damon asked sarcastically. "Or do my conniving, violent tendencies revoke that right."

Stefan sighed, "Go ahead." He beckoned towards the front door, allowing Damon to walk ahead of him. Anything for Elena.

"I'm diggin' the manners, Stef," Damon smirked. "That's very 1864 of you." Then he sped through the door. Stefan rolled his eyes before following him in. No way was he allowing him alone with his girlfriend for more than two seconds; sure, he knew _she_ would be safe – it was their relationship that had the possibility not to be.

When they reached the living room, they found it empty. No Alaric, no Jeremy – no Elena.

"I'll check upstairs," Damon was gone in a flash.  
"I'll check this floor," Stefan murmured to an empty room.

* * *

Alaric walked Jeremy up the stairs, the shaking boy gazing around at everything in wonder.

"New senses getting to you?" Alaric asked, jarring the boy out of his thoughts. Jeremy whipped his head towards him, before attempting to calm himself down. He felt like he was on a permanent high. "Huh? Yeah, sorry. Yeah, they really are. Hyper-everything and all. Crazy shit." Alaric nodded his understanding.

"Alright, well what we need to do now is wash all this blood off you, the shower is just in that room over there.." Suddenly, everything Alaric was saying faded into the background. Jeremy caught a glimpse of Elena's horrified face in the upstairs hallway, and the world seemed to slow. She had been crying, he could tell. And now her face was a mixture of astonishment and _fear_. She was scared of _him_. Then everything flew by at top speed, and Elena was running as fast as she possibly could; down the stairs, away from her own _brother_. Jeremy was already at her destination, and she smashed into him, having been focusing her eyesight behind her. She turned to him and gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. She slowly backed up against the wall, with Jeremy close in front of her, trying to tell her things she wasn't willing to hear.

"Elena, I know I'm a vampire, but please, _please_, don't be afraid of me," he pleaded, attempting to move closer to her. "I would never hurt you! I'm your baby brother, I could _never_," he began crying now, begging her to believe him. Tears streamed down Elena's face as well, and she turned her face away from him – away from all the pain. He continued, though.

"Please Elena, _please_," he whispered. She slid down the wall to the floor, wrapping her arms around herself, and began to cry. She cried for the end of her brother's innocence, for the end of her _own_ innocence. She cried for what seemed to be the end of humanity. She cried for her parents, for Bonnie, for everything that had happened to her. She barely registered her brother's sobbing form beside her as well, and soon she was crying into his shoulder, blood from his victim smothered on both of them. Then all too soon he was scrambling away from her, turning around to face the opposite direction. She knew he must be hungry, and she found his dedication to not hurt her touching.

"I'm so sorry, Jer," Elena continued to cry, as she repeated the same phrase over and over, causing her brother's shoulders to shake with sobs once more. "I never wanted this to happen to you. Never in a million years." Then she was hyperventilating, the stress of everything continuing to take its toll on her. She felt herself becoming light-headed, but couldn't bring herself to stop. Jeremy glanced at her wildly, the noise worrying him, but the sight of his fangs and red eyes made her go into an even deeper panic. Her brother was yelling now, calling for Damon, Stefan, Alaric – anyone.

"Hurry!" he yelled, staring at Elena in fear. "I don't know what's happening, please hurry!" Then the brothers were there, kneeling beside Elena, attempting to soothe her.

"Just breathe, Elena," Stefan commanded as gently as he possibly could. Elena only shook her head, panic clear in her eyes. Everything was going away, she could see the beginnings of blackness, and her fear was slipping away as well. Then Damon's eyes were in front of her, and she couldn't breathe. There was so much in them, but at the moment it was mostly concern.

"Elena, shhhh baby," he whispered, looking directly into her eyes the entire time. "I need you to try and take deeper breaths, okay? You've been through a lot today, I know, but you need to try and calm down. Just breathe," he took deep breaths himself, attempting to set an example for the broken girl in front of him. She closed her eyes and let out a whine, but complied slightly. Her breathing slowed down the tiniest bit, and Damon encouraged her. "Good girl, keep breathing. That's it babe." Slowly her breathing returned to normal, and she finally had the strength to open her eyes again. She slumped over, trying to return all the lost air to her lungs, but her face didn't miss Stefan's, pain etched across his features. She wanted to comfort him, but didn't have it in her to. Damon also seemed to realize, and coughed slightly, backing away from her. He had to admit, his brother's self-control was improving. Normally Stefan would be all over him by this point, trying to stake him and what-not. Death threats were old news these days.

Elena felt better once she allowed more air to enter her lungs, and she reached for Stefan, wanting him to scoop her up in his arms. The slightest smile slid across his face, and he obliged, love practically oozing from his pores. He sat her on one of the plush chairs occupying the room, and began walking over to Jeremy, who stood on the other side of the room, still shocked.

"Jer, there's a freezer full of blood bags in a storage room down that hallway," Stefan murmured in Jeremy's ear. Damon nodded at him subtly, then walked over as well.

"Eat, then take a shower. God knows you need one," he scrunched his nose up in distaste. "You're not helping Elena any, so we really need you to get washed up." Jeremy nodded, face stony. He walked in the direction they had pointed out to him, face already vamping out at the thought of a meal. Stefan motioned for Alaric to follow him, and the man nodded, already on his way. Now was definitely not the time to leave Jeremy alone – he was too vulnerable.

Once they were out of sight, and what Damon and Stefan hoped was earshot, they began grilling Elena with questions.

"What happened?" Stefan asked, taking her hands in his. Elena blushed, embarrassed at her reaction moments before.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I woke up, and there was no one here." Stefan looked at the floor guiltily. "It's fine, don't worry," she smiled, reassuring him, sensing that he felt he had let her down. "So I decided to go look for the both of you. I was upstairs looking in rooms, when suddenly I caught a glimpse of Jeremy, and he was covered in blood." The thought made her shiver, but she continued. "Then I'm not sure why, but I was just so _scared_ of him. I booked it down the stairs, but he was already there – I forgot about the whole super-speed thing you guys have going on."

"Did he hurt you?" Damon asked her, eyes probing her body for marks.

"No, no. Don't worry, he didn't even touch me," Elena explained. "But I was just overwhelmed, I guess."

"Apparently," Damon drawled. Stefan gave him a look, and he sighed. "Sorry, too soon?" Elena smiled wanly at him. "Anyways, I'm starving, I'll be back in a few minutes. Play safe," he winked, though the thought made him queasy. He began walking away, when suddenly he was on the floor, gasping for air and clutching at his head. He let out a strangled scream, rolling around in pain. Elena and Stefan's attention focused on him in shock, confused as to what was going on. Then they were running over to him, assessing the situation. "Damon? _Damon_!" Elena asked, moving around his body, searching for any signs of injury. He only continued, writhing around on the wooden flooring. "What's happening to him, Stefan?" Stefan only opened and closed his mouth in response. "What's _happening _to him, Stefan?" she asked again, more urgently this time, her voice tinged with hysteria.

"I don't know!" Stefan told her helplessly. "I don't know what's going on! Damon? Damon can you hear me?" he asked loudly.

"It hurts," Damon breathed out painfully. He continued to struggle, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"Hello everyone," a voice greeted from the doorway.

* * *

I heart reviews! Any guesses on who it is?


	3. Let the Games Begin

**A/N:** Thank you to all you lovely readers! Your reviews make me so happy, I was worried I wouldn't get good feedback on this :) Sorry I haven't updated lately, but unlike Elena, _I _had to go to the hospital after passing out :( so the last few days I've been staying there (with no internet, might I add!), as they've been running tests and so on. I'm home now though, although I'm still a little out of it, which is why this chapter is short as well :( Hope you guys still like it though – and to all who thought it was Katherine? That was the... wrong answer, sorry! Say hellllo to Bonnie :)

**Also,** **the rating will be upped to M sometime in the next few chapters**, so look for my story in the M section if you can't find it! I will most likely not be updating until next week, because I have more testing to do at the hospital, and I will be out at my cottage until next Wednesday, where there is no internet either :(

* * *

Bonnie stood at the doorway, her green eyes flashing angrily. Damon squirmed on the floor, and she glared at his moving form. "What are you _doing_, Bonnie?" Elena ran in front of her best friend, and Bonnie glanced at her, obviously startled by her concern for Damon. "Stop it! You're hurting him!"

"Oh, just like he hurt that poor girl in the car outside?" Bonnie shoved her emotions aside, raising an eyebrow at Elena. "I told you, _enough_ with the innocent bloodshed. I refuse to allow anyone else to be killed in this town," she stated firmly. The thought of the body she had found laying dead in Alaric's car spurred her magic on, and Damon let out a bloodcurdling scream, clutching at his head once more.

Elena's mind raced. Body? Car? Damon? No, no he couldn't have – he wouldn't have. She shook her head. "It wasn't him, there's no way it was him." She pushed the thought out of her mind, although she kept coming back to Stefan's words. "He had some.. things to take care of." What kinds of things? Elena asked herself. The thought made her sick to her stomach – she had thought he was over this, that she could trust him. Damon seemed to sense what she was thinking, because when she returned her gaze to him, he was staring at her, hurt showing clearly on his face, even through his obvious discomfort. His eyes told her everything. You think it was me, they seemed to say.

"Well who was it then?" Bonnie bit her lip, attempting to multi-task between arguing with Elena and inflicting pain upon Damon. "Don't tell me you expect me to believe it was _Stefan_," she laughed at the thought. Upon hearing his name, Stefan snapped his head up from his brother's pained figure to meet Bonnie's eyes.

"Jeremy," he told her grimly, the name slipping from his mouth. "It was Jeremy. Lay off the powers." Bonnie looked confused at his words, as did Elena, before realization dawned on the brunette's face. "I said, _lay off the powers_," Stefan growled when she hesitated. The witch nodded slightly, and Damon's body went slack with relief on the wooden flooring. Stefan yelled for Alaric to bring him a blood bag, and he soon appeared with Jeremy at his side. Damon grabbed the bag greedily from Alaric's outstretched hands and gulped the thick, red liquid down, regaining his lost strength. He stood up and dusted himself off, seemingly annoyed.

"That was cute, Bonnie. _Not_. That fucking hurt," he sent her a dirty look, clearly miffed. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Unless you want to be on the floor _again_," she spat, "I suggest someone starts explaining now. And I do mean _now_," she stated when no one made a move to begin speaking.

"Oh, it's cool," Damon shrugged, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Since everyone's offering, I'll just plead my _own_ case."

"Because I'd take your word for it," Bonnie scoffed, brushing him off. "Any volunteers?" Stefan opened his mouth to talk, but closed it just as quickly. "Apparently not."

"Gee, guys. I appreciate it, you're all the fucking _best_," Damon hissed before stalking out the door, slamming it shut behind him. Elena started after him but stopped herself. Stefan seemed to realize her inner conflict, and shook his head at her tiredly.

"Help me explain this," his eyes pleaded with her. However, she knew what he really meant – stay with _me_. So she attempted a smile at him, and didn't pull away when his hand slipped into hers. Jeremy moved from where Alaric was standing to the other side of her and slid an arm around her shoulder. She smiled at the contact, and he squeezed her reassuringly, although he had a frown on his face as he remembered what he had done to the girl outside. As she listened to Stefan and Jeremy explain what had happened, Elena's mind was elsewhere. All she could picture was Damon, and his face as he shut the door – over and over and over again.

She shook the thought from her mind and watched Bonnie's face instead, as it went from angry to confused to even _guilty_. She could tell her friend felt sorry for how she had acted, and Bonnie voiced this out loud. "I'm sorry everyone," Bonnie's face looked crestfallen. "She was just," Bonnie paused. "I was just going for a walk, and I could _sense _her. Then I saw the body and.. she was just _there_, and I assumed," she trailed off. Stefan attempted to reassure her – it was Damon after all, he told her softly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she heard her own voice ask, and everyone turned to look at her. It had been the first time she had spoken since Damon had left.

"Hm?" Stefan looked slightly confused.

"What do you mean, it was _Damon_, after all?" Stefan didn't say a word, just looked at her blankly. She didn't want to fight, not now, so she settled on, "You treat him like he's still that person, Stefan." Her voice was gentle. His only answer was to turn his head back to Bonnie as if she had never spoken. For a moment, even she believed she hadn't.

* * *

Damon walked through the main square, his shoulder's hunched angrily. No one – not even one of them – had stood up for him, even though they all knew for a _fact_ that it wasn't him who had drained the girl. His brother and Alaric, he could believe. Even Jeremy, out of fear that the witch's powers would be inflicted on him instead. But Elena? Never in a million years could he believe that she hadn't said anything. She had just remained silent, staring at him through her big brown eyes, face devoid of emotion. As soon as Bonnie had mentioned a body, he had seen a flicker of doubt in her eyes. That alone had stung more than he let on. But he thought – had thought, at least – that she would have his back. God knows, he'd always had hers.

"Damon," a voice called his name. He turned around, searching for a face to match it to, and spotted Bonnie walking towards him, looking slightly embarrassed.

"What do you want now?" he asked her. His voice sounded tired, but she noticed he kept his ever-present smirk in place. Typical.

"Don't make this harder than it is," she warned. "I came here to apologize – but you already knew that, didn't you." Bonnie cocked her head to one side.

"Maybe. But what does it matter? If we're being honest, I'm slightly grateful to you," Damon said gruffly. "Showed where loyalties lie. And apparently the only person I can count on is myself – which is how it's always been."

"That's not true, Damon. God, always the drama queen, aren't you? They all explained to me-"

"Not soon enough," Damon cut her off. "They knew, the whole time. Stefan saw with his own eyes, but he chose to remain silent. And Elena-"

"Really cares," Bonnie nodded stiffly. "She stood up for you – said you weren't who you used to be, so everyone should stop treating you that way." Damon's eyes lit up for a moment, but he hid it quickly. Not that a witch would miss it. She took in his features, and smiled slightly. "Sorry, though," she told him. "Really, I mean it. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he leaned into her, smirking. "It only hurt a bit. No worries."

"Hey, you took it pretty well," she laughed. "Only screamed, uh – approximately the whole time?" He glared at her playfully.

"Still, we're going to have to teach you to keep those powers of yours under control, little Miss Let's-be-a-Hero." Bonnie laughed sarcastically.

"Funny. Very, very funny. And I'm surprised that I'm the one saying this," Bonnie let out a sigh, "but you just may not be _that _bad, Damon Salvatore. I'll give, you've changed, but if you tell anyone I said that.." she smirked back at him, before shaking her head in disbelief. "Never did I think those words would come out of my mouth."

"Well, they all come around," he winked at her, feeling smug as her heartbeat sped up the slightest bit.

* * *

Elena walked quickly through the town, keeping an eye out for Damon. She knew he must be furious with her, the look he had left her with ensured that. The thought of his anger had made her a bundle of nerves, and she quickened her pace, sure he had to be around here somewhere. Then he appeared into view, his eyes dancing wickedly, happiness evident on his face. She was bewildered when she saw the girl next to him, doubled over in laughter. _Bonnie_? Was this possibly the same girl who, moments before, had wanted the elder Salvatore brother dead? She froze as her friend turned in her direction, eyes lighting up as she caught a glimpse of Elena. She waved, obviously embarrassed at being caught enjoying herself with a man who she had sworn was evil for so long. Elena saw Bonnie murmur something to Damon, and he glanced in her direction for less than a moment, before continuing to stroll alongside her best friend. "No, not this time," Elena muttered out loud to herself, before jogging in their direction. She knew Damon had heard her coming, but he chose to act as if he hadn't noticed. It was Bonnie who turned around at the sound of her footsteps.

"Elena," Bonnie smiled widely at her, while Damon only grunted a greeting.

"Sorry Bon," Elena said apologetically, "but do you think I could have a moment with Damon?"

"Actually," he drawled, "I have some _things I need to take care of_, so I'll be going now." Bonnie didn't realize the dig, but Elena recognized his words and stared at the ground, upset of the way he was brushing her off. Sure she had assumed the worst, but she hadn't meant to hurt him.

"Already?" Bonnie, to everyone's surprise, sounded slightly put out by this information

"Sorry m'lady," Damon smirked at her. "But we will be sure to do this again," he lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing it softly. Elena was reminded of the first time she had met him, and jealousy surged through her body. She glanced away, but not soon enough to miss the blush slowly rising to Bonnie's face.

"Cheesy," Bonnie shrugged it off, laughing as she pushed him away.

"Well, good day, _ladies_," he sped off, not sparing a glance in Elena's direction, completely missing how upset she was.

"What's wrong Elena?" Bonnie asked, her concern obvious.

"Oh, it's nothing," Elena forced a smile onto her face. "But what was _that_?" Her heart pounded in her chest at the idea of Damon and _Bonnie_, of all people.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked shyly, her face already slightly flushed.

"Do you – do you have a thing for _Damon_?" Elena crossed her fingers behind her back, praying the answer would be no.

"No! No way," Bonnie blushed deeper. "He's just not as bad as I thought he was," she justified. Elena was finding it harder and harder to keep her smile in place. "I think we could be friends."

"Yeah," Elena echoed. "You could be friends."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Bonnie prodded, as Elena's voice sounded hollow, even to her own ears.

"Sorry, uh, I have to go," she said, changing the topic. "Jenna, well, she told me to come home early – apparently she has something to talk to me about." She took one last glance at Bonnie's confused face before jogging off in the direction of her house. As she replayed the conversation in her head, she escalated her pace. Soon she was running as fast as she could, attempting to leave the events of today far behind her. She barely noticed herself becoming tired, all she knew was that she had to keep moving. She found that her feet carried her to the boarding house, and before she knew what she was doing, she had knocked on the thick, wooden door, panting for breath. Damon answered, offering no greeting – he simply moved aside and allowed her to come in. She followed him into the house, before turning on him.

"What did I do?" she asked as calmly as she possibly could, still breathing heavily from her run.

"I don't know what you're talking about, _E-len-a_," he moved around her and continued walking.

"Don't you dare," he paused at her words.

"Dare what?" his eyes sparkled as he slowly turned towards her.

"Walk away from me. Don't you _dare_ walk away from me – you never walk away from me," she was quivering slightly, her voice tinged with hysteria.

"Well guess what, Elena," he walked towards her now, leaning down and breathing in her scent. She arched towards him, but he had already moved away. "You're wrong," he said coldly.

"Damon, don't," she whimpered.

"Oh, but I just did," he smirked, before continuing in the opposite direction. When he was sure she couldn't see him, his smug smile fell into a frown. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed loudly, her face still clear in his mind. But the Elena he knew could _never_ take a hint, and soon he felt her presence behind him.

"Please don't do this, Damon," her voice sounded so small and sad, he had to turn around.

"Fuck, Elena," he closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see her looking so heartbroken. "It's kind of hard to walk away when you follow me," he attempted to lighten the mood. She let out a watery laugh, and he groaned. "Come here, you," he opened his arms to her, and she moved towards him hesitantly, almost as if she thought he was only joking. "This offer only stands for so long," he tapped his foot impatiently. Then he saw the shyest of smiles cross her face, and she stepped into his embrace, her tiny hands tentatively pulling him closer to her, testing the waters.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly, her words seeming to hang in the air. It was silent for the next few minutes, as he struggled to find a way that explained how he had felt.

"You weren't there, Elena," his body had become rigid as he spoke. "You weren't there, and I needed someone. Really needed someone – needed you."

"I know, never again. I'm so sorry," she mumbled, her face buried in his shirt. He felt wetness on his chest, and he pulled back from her slightly to get a glimpse of her face. It was glistening with tears, and she turned away from him, embarrassed.

"Hey," he whispered. "It's okay." He stroked her cheek lightly before brushing her tears away with his thumb. "I just wanted you to know. I know I was an ass to you earlier, I just wanted to explain why."

"I was so embarrassed," she trailed off, burrowing herself into his chest again. "I thought you didn't care about me anymore." He sighed into her hair.

"I was hurt, Elena – there's a difference. I'll always care, even when I pretend I don't. You should know that by now." They heard slow clapping from the door, and both whipped their heads in that direction.

"Cute, very cute," Stefan muttered bitterly as he leaned against the counter.

"Stef," Elena tried to explain, but her brain wouldn't form the words.

"Don't even try," he said angrily. "I've heard enough bullshit lately. I tried to ignore this weird _friendship_ you two have going on, but neither of you will let me."

"Nothing is going on, Broody," Damon spoke up, clearing his throat. "I care for Elena very deeply, and I'm lucky enough for her to care back, but she's in love with _you_," he said, hating the way his voice cracked at his last words. Elena glanced up at him gratefully, and she nodded her agreement at Stefan, who seemed to lose some of his steam at that.

"Sorry Elena," Stefan muttered, giving in way too easily for Damon's liking. "I'm off, I know. It's just been a rough couple days." Elena breathed a sigh of relief, and she hugged Stefan to her.

"For everyone," Elena said pointedly, giving Stefan a look, and he sighed.

"Damon, can I speak with you?" Stefan then asked. Elena seemed pleased with him doing that, and she smiled widely, feeling like she had contributed to what seemed to be the end of their fighting. Damon nodded solemnly, and moved off to the side with his brother, out of earshot of Elena.

"Please, Damon," Stefan looked into his brother's eyes, desperation in his own.

"What now?" he should have known his brother didn't have it in him to apologize.

"Stop – I just need you to stop."

"Stop what?" Damon asked. "I don't do riddles, bro. Spit it out," he rolled his eyes.

"Stop fucking with her head," Stefan finally said, anger evident on his face. "You know it, and I know it. You're just messing with her, and it's working."

"Who's says I'm messing with her?" Damon hissed. "I _told_ you, I care about that girl – more than anything in the world right now." Stefan ran a hand through his hair, hating to hear the words coming out of his brother's mouth. Just as he was about to say more, Elena wandered over to them.

"Don't tell me you two have resolved nothing," she looked between them. "I said _no_ _more_ fighting, come on guys."

"Yeah, Stef. No more fighting," Damon grinned, a challenge in his eyes. He threw an arm around Elena casually, and Stefan tensed when she didn't shake it off.

"Tired, Elena?" Stefan asked her then, never one to resist a good competition – Katherine had proved that years ago.

"Exhausted," she yawned in response.

"Come on, then. To the honeymoon suite," he joked, leading her away from his brother. As they walked up the stairs he turned back towards Damon and winked, ignoring the crushed look on his brother's face. Two could play at this game, he decided. And two would play, indeed.

* * *

Who better to make Elena jealous than her own best friend? Review if you want to see some Elena jealousy, or if you'd prefer to leave it all to Stefan and Damon! I would also love to hear any ideas about how you guys would like this story to go, so feel free to review or inbox me some of your lovely storyline possibilities! :)


	4. Snatched

A/N:

I'M BACK! Wow, 41 reviews already, you guys are amazing! I got pretty mixed feedback – half of you love seeing Elena jealous, while the other half hate it. So I'm still not sure what I plan on doing about that, but remember: this _will_ end up Damon/Elena. Damon wouldn't fall in love with Bonnie, and vice versa. I'm actually debating between setting Stefan up with Bonnie, but I know he couldn't possibly love her as much as he loves Elena. Unlike some people who have him move on right away, I just can't picture Stefan falling in love again.. maybe that's just me? But I love the guy, I really do – just not with Elena.

Also, sorry it took me so long to update! I actually just got hired for a job, and it was a pretty last minute thing, so I've been working my ass off! It's been a whirlwind week, but I promise you all I will be updating often now! So much love for all of you :)

* * *

Stefan tugged Elena's arm playfully as they rounded the corner leading towards his bedroom, pulling her to him. "Come here, you," he teased. Elena stiffened for a moment, recalling Damon saying those exact words to her only moments earlier, but shook it off. Then she was laughing against his chest, sending vibrations throughout Stefan's entire body. He shivered, holding her closer – this girl meant everything to him, and he never wanted her to leave his arms. Stefan thought back to Damon's face at the foot of the stairs. As terrible as it was, he had enjoyed the pain engraved on his face – the creased forehead, downcast eyes, everything. This was _his_ girl, damnit. When he had seen his brother holding her in the kitchen, he couldn't breathe for a moment. The way Elena had fit so perfectly into Damon's arms, the way her heart was beating at a faster rate than normal, the way she had clutched his shirt so tightly he could see her knuckles whiten – the bile had risen up in his throat, and it had taken everything he had to keep himself from vomiting at the sight of them together. All the suppressed anger he felt towards his brother had seemed to rear its ugly head, and the only thing he had wanted in that moment was to inflict even a fraction of the hurt he had felt back onto him.

"Stefan," Elena waggled her finger in a come hither fashion, laughing from the doorway of his room. He smiled in spite of himself, and sped towards her, picking her up and throwing her onto the bed faster than she could blink. "Whoa," she blew the hair out of her eyes, glancing up at him innocently. In that second she looked nothing like Katherine, all doe eyes and her shy smile. Stefan fell in love with her a little bit more in that moment, and he began showering her with soft kisses wherever bare skin could be seen: her eyelids as they fluttered closed, her cheeks, temples, nose, stomach – everywhere. As he pushed her shirt up further, he felt her freeze beneath him. Only then did he notice the presence of his older brother in the doorframe. He smirked slightly against her skin. Payback is a bitch. Hiding his smile, he turned his head in Damon's direction.

"Yes, Damon?" he asked, forcing his voice to sound exasperated. But Damon didn't even look at him, only stared past Stefan, eyes locked with Elena's. She was breathing heavily, shirt ridden up on her stomach, unable to look away from him – from the terrible look on his face that she wanted to make go away as soon as possible. Then he turned away from her, and Elena sagged heavily onto the bed,

"Jeremy needs to hunt. He's hungry." Damon stared at the wall, not looking at either of them now.

"When aren't the newbies?" Stefan groaned. "But this has to do with me how?"

"I fed off blood bags already, but I figured you'd need to hunt anyways, so you can take him," Damon ordered.

"Well, not sure if you could tell, but I'm a little bit busy, _Damon_," Stefan winked at Elena, causing her to cheeks to tinge pink. She sat up uneasily, and he could tell she felt uncomfortable with his behavior in front of Damon.

"I see," Damon gritted his teeth. "Well, would you like me to come back at a more convenient time, _Stefan_?"

"No, he'd love to help Jeremy," Elena said firmly, her tone allowing no discussion. He sighed, knowing there was no way to get out of it.

"Yes, I'd _love_ to help Jeremy," Stefan repeated. "But why didn't you just send _him_ up here to tell us this?" At the sound of his name Jeremy poked his head around the corner.

"Unfortunately, I had intended to _skip_ being traumatized by a potential scenario involving my sister and a lack of clothing," Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Guess it's too late for that." Elena covered her face with her hands, face bright red.

"It wasn't like that!" she defended.

"It was just on it's way to being like that," Damon sent a knowing look at Jeremy, who snickered in response.

"Tell them, Stefan," Elena elbowed his side, waiting for him to say something, but all he did was laugh.

"I will not tell a lie," he teased, leaning down to capture her lips in another kiss.

"Cute," Damon snarled sarcastically, while Jeremy made a gagging noise, causing them both to laugh.

"Not as cute as the bromance you two appear to have going on," Stefan cocked an eyebrow at them. "I'm debating on whether to be accepting, or afraid."

"What can I say?" Jeremy rose his eyebrows. "I dig the bad boys."

"Never again, Jeremy," Damon nodded. "Please." Jeremy made kissing noises until Damon laughed, shoving him out of the room. "After you, dear brother of mine," he gestured in the direction Jeremy had just gone. Stefan left the room, but not before glancing back at the pair. His eyes sent a warning to his brother – _stay away from her_. Damon didn't move from where he was standing until he heard the front door slam shut. He began to walk away as well, but her voice stopped him.

"Damon," she trailed off. He could tell she wanted to say more, but he didn't want to listen to it.

"Gotta go babe. Girls to see, whisky to drink – you know how it is." She only rolled her eyes in response.

"That's not true and we both know it," she said simply, cocking her head, confused.

"Well I'm about to make it true," he fake-smiled at her, before his grin gave way to a glare. "Peace."

"When will you be back?" she asked, concerned as to what he was going to do.

"Late – don't wait up, mom. The only thing I'll be drinking is anything with a high liquor content," he groaned, almost as if reading her mind. "Nothing living.. tonight."

"Dick much?" Elena growled. "Don't you dare mock me for worrying about you."

"But oh wait – I just did. God, you humans are intolerable. I do _what_ I want, _when_ I want," he popped the collar of his dress shirt, smirking into the mirror. Grabbing one of Stefan's combs, he began running it through his hair, before he defeated the purpose and used his fingers to revert it to it's natural, messy state.

"Why are you being like this?" she asked him nervously, even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. "Is it because of Stefan?" he froze, before turning towards her, malevolent smile in place.

"Because of Stefan? My dear, sweet Elena, why would I do that?"

"You didn't seem very happy to walk in on us-"

"About to go at it? Yeah, like Jeremy I usually try to prevent my gag reflex from acting up," he murmured, back to focusing on his reflection in the mirror.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair before walking away, shaking her head at his childish behaviour. "When you're ready to _not _act like a complete idiot, you know where to find me. Have fun with your whores."

* * *

Jeremy jogged on the spot, his senses making the chill, autumn wind gusting around him feel like heaven. As crazy as it sounded, he had never felt more alive than when he was dead. His face distorted in awe, and he laughed to himself – dead! He was really dead. Stefan, on the other hand, stood completely still, eyes alert for the slightest movement in the underbrush. Jeremy watched him, entranced as Stefan lunged for a rabbit who never saw him coming. Then it was being offered to him, and before he even could think his jaws were enclosed around it and the hot, silky feel of fresh blood was pouring into his mouth. His eyes rolled back in ecstasy, and he could feel the life slowly draining out of the rabbit – it had given up struggling long ago. Too soon he had to pull back, the limp body dangling from his fingers. Stefan nodded at him solemnly. "Still hungry?" Jeremy nodded.

"It feels like this never-ending thirst," he whined, blood still dripping down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand, before licking it off hungrily. "God, I just can't get enough of this stuff."

"I know, it's crazy," Stefan watched him in amusement. "Your sister would flip a shit if she saw you right now. Can't even keep the mess to a minimum, can you?"

"Absolutely not," he muttered as he licked his chin, gazing down his nose to try and see any missed blood.

"So you and Damon, huh?" Stefan kidded, changing the subject as he felt his stomach start to grumble. No need to torture himself while he waited for his own meal to wander along.

"Mm?" Jeremy glanced up, still entranced by the blood. "Oh. Yeah, for sure. He's been a pretty chill guy these past few days."

"Damon? A pretty chill guy?" Stefan scoffed. "If you're talking about his ice-cold heart, then sure."

"Nah, I don't see what you guys hate so much about each other," he said distractedly, attempting to lick blood off of his arm without getting it on his clothing. "I mean, you're both cool.. in different ways," he sent Stefan a sideways glance. "Like you, you may not wear a leather jacket or get all the girls, but you know – you're pretty cool still, I guess."

"Thanks bud," Stefan commented dryly. "Means a lot."

"No problem man," Jeremy clapped a hand on Stefan's back once he had successfully rid himself of all traces of blood. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna head back." He started in the direction of the boarding house.

"Ah ah ah, not so fast," Stefan laughed, pulling Jeremy alongside him. "No way am I letting you walk home by yourself, not with the bloodlust still strong."

"I got this, I swear. I've had my fill. Believe me, I just wanna sleep," he said. Stefan wavered.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his hunger becoming stronger by the minute.

"Yeah, don't worry! Go hunt, _you're_ the hungry one right now," Jeremy laughed. "I'll be fine, it's only a short distance away."

"If you're sure," Stefan said, still not completely convinced. "Just be careful. Really careful. We can't go revealing ourselves to all of Mystic Falls, now can we?"

"Absolutely not," Jeremy nodded. "I'll go right home, I promise you." He bid Stefan goodbye and began walking through the woods towards home, a slight skip in his step. He hadn't felt this good since, well – ever. The blood made him feel invincible, like he could do anything and everything, and no one could get in his way. He saw a figure in the shadows and he began walking towards them. "Damn, caught something already, Stefan?" There was no answer and something inside him didn't feel right. The figure moved so that the moonlight was hitting them, illuminating their face. Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. "Elena! You scared the hell out of me, god." Elena's face twisted into the smallest of smiles.

"Sorry, Jer. But I'm. Not. Elena," her mischevious smile grew wider, and she lunged at him. He felt the stab of vervain before he saw the needle, and darkness overwhelmed him in moments.

Elena was in front of the large, brick fireplace in the living room, the heat seeming to radiate through her body, warming every fiber of her being. She lay on a blanket, lazily tracing designs on her exposed stomach. Just lying there was so relaxing, she could barely think of anything other than the crackling of the wood and how damn good she was feeling. Then she heard the front door open and close and.. wait – was that giggling she heard? She sat up, slightly disoriented. No, she had to be dreaming. But then she heard it again, closer this time. Elena stood up slowly, trying to make the least amount of noise possible. Moving towards the door, she peered around it, only to come face-to-face with Damon. "Boo," he laughed. She jumped back, terrified.

"Oh my god, Damon, oh my god," she hyperventilated, hand at her heart.

"He's a bitch, eh?" a girl spoke up from behind him. Elena peered around Damon, and saw a pretty blonde girl smiling at her. "Hey, I'm-"

"Not important," he smirked back at her, and she laughed. "But that's Lila, and that's Lucy," he pointed at her chest. "Those are the names that matter." The blonde faked indignance, hitting his chest like Elena had done so many times in the past.

"So are you gonna show me around?" she winked at him.

"If you count my bedroom as around, then yes."

"Mm, I love around," she giggled, her hand on his arm. Damon smirked at her before turning back to Elena.

"Uh, you got a little.." he pointed at her head, and her hands flew up to it self-consciously. Sure enough, her hair was matted in the back and a definite mess. She flushed red, angry at him for embarrassing her in front of this girl.

"I'll just, uh-" she mumbled, turning herself around. "Bye."

"Cindy was it?" she could hear Damon saying as he led her upstairs.

"Sydney," the girl giggled once more, the sound making Elena want to tear her tangled tresses out. God, she hated blondes.

* * *

Stefan whistled as he walked up the front steps and into the house. "Jeremy, you would never believe the-" he stopped as he walked into the parlor and saw Elena angrily ripping through her hair with a brush.

"Jeremy's not here," she said angrily, pulling hard on a knot and wincing when it came out. "Thought he was with you." Stefan tried to ignore the wave of dread that washed over him. "He, uh – he said he was going to come right home." Elena whirled on him.

"Please tell me you did _not _let my newly-turned vampire brother walk home by himself. Please," she spat at him, "tell me you did not do something so stupid."

"I'm so sorry, Elena," he apologized, afraid of her wrath in this moment. "I'm going to go look for him right now, and I'm sure Damon will help."

"Good luck pulling him away from that trailer trash blonde he has upstairs," she scoffed, continuing to tug on her hair. He raised an eyebrow at her, confused. Then he sped upstairs, opening his brother's door without even knocking.

"Damon we have a problem.." he didn't finish his sentence, only covered his eyes. "God! _Not _what I wanted to see, Damon."

"Not sure if you could tell, but I'm a little bit busy, _Stefan_," Damon mocked, sliding the blankets over Sydney and himself. "You will forget this ever happened and fall asleep," he compelled the blonde, who's breathing promptly evened out as she fell into a deep slumber.

"Jeremy's gone, Damon."

"What?" Damon snapped his head towards his brother.

"I sent him home, by himself," Stefan began.

"You did _what_?" Damon stood up, sliding clothing on as his brother stared on in disgust. "How could you pull something so idiotic? As a vampire, you of all people should know how incredibly dangerous it is to send him out there alone. For _all_ of us."

"We have to find him," Stefan murmured.

"No shit, Sherlock," Damon rolled his eyes. "Grab Elena, it's not safe to leave her here."

"And it's safe to take her _with_ us?" Stefan asked incredulously.

"Safer with two vampires than home alone? Yeah, I believe so, now hurry your ass up and grab _your girl_," Damon said bitterly, before taking a swig of whisky and jogging down the stairs. "If Alaric is cranky, I'm blaming you."

* * *

Yes, Katherine is here everyone! I didn't want to have her strike too early in the story, but I think now is a good time to start incorporating her.

Anything you all want to see next? Ps, I'm still thinking of ways to incorporate Bonnie, I would love to hear some of your ideas! **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	5. Staked

**A/N**: This was written really quickly seeing as we are taking an impromptu trip to Las Vegas! Partyyyy :) but I will be writing more when I'm there, because I have internet connection, YAY. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Alaric awoke with a start, the shrill ring of the phone rousing him from his sleep. As soon as his heartbeat slowed down he kicked the covers aside, grumbling. "Hello?" he barked into the receiver.

"I just love your morning voice," Damon purred over the line.

"Salvatore, I swear to god.." Alaric glared at the phone in his hand. "This better be damn good for you to wake me up at," he glanced over his shoulder to check the clock, "three in the morning."

"Simmer down, Ric. Alright, now that I have your attention – do you want the bad news, or the _really_ bad news?" Damon quipped, causing Alaric to sigh.

"Just spit it out already, Damon."

"Well, the bad news is that, well - Jeremy's gone." Damon heard a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line. "And the _terrible_ news is that we're getting the idea that Katherine may have decided to stick around in Mystic Falls for a while, if you catch my drift."

"Wow," Alaric groaned. "Of course. What better way to get to Elena than to kidnap her younger brother."

"Too bad she couldn't have just taken _my_ younger brother," the elder Salvatore said, and Alaric heard Stefan hit him. "Was that really necessary, brother?" Damon drawled. Alaric heard Stefan's mumbled yes, and smiled slightly in amusement. Those two would never change.

"Well, I'll be there in five," Alaric whispered, shooting a quick glance at Jenna's sleeping form. Girl slept like a rock – if the phone ringing hadn't woken her up, nothing would.

"Bring supplies," came Damon's only reply before Alaric was left listening to the dial tone. Figures. But still, he loaded his bag with vervain darts and a few shoddily sharpened stakes – just in case. Better safe than sorry, he decided.

* * *

Damon hung up the phone and turned around. "He'll be here soon."

"Good," Stefan sighed. "God, I feel terrible. If I had just made Jeremy stay with me, we wouldn't even be in this mess." Damon waved him off.

"You can brood later – right now we need to think. Where would that little bitch take him?"

"What little bitch?" Elena stepped into the room, biting her fingernails worriedly.

"Don't tell me you didn't tell her," Damon glared at his younger brother, who turned towards Elena apologetically. She looked back and forth between the two before realization dawned on her.

"Oh no – no, no, hell _no_," she backed away slightly. "Not Katherine, please tell me you're not talking about Katherine."

"Wish I could, princess," Damon ran a hand through his hair. "But it seems the bitch is back. Well, we _think_ so at least. We don't have any concrete proof obviously, but who else would take your brother? After that little stunt she pulled on Founder's Day , I wouldn't put it past her. Tomorrow we'll know for sure – if there have been any more _animal _attacks, it's likely your brother just snapped and gave in to the blood. But if not.." he trailed off.

"How could you have left him?" she asked quietly, not looking at Stefan. "How?"

"Elena," he put a hand on her arm, but she only shook it off.

"I don't want to hear your excuses, I just want you to _find_ him. I'm sleeping at home tonight. If we're being honest I'd rather not be around _either_ of you right now," she shot Damon a dirty look as well.

"What'd I do?" Damon asked, but his question was ignored.

"I'm sorry," Stefan shook his head. "Really, I am. But we can't let you do that. She's been invited in." Damon nodded his agreement.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with him, but he's right." She huffed angrily. "Elena, even _you_ of all people know how stupid that would be. You're much safer here with us," Damon told her.

"And I'm assuming so is that girl you brought home?" Elena turned on him angrily.

"Whoa whoa, hostile," Damon held his hands up in surrender. "But I take it that's what you're made at me about?" She said nothing in response, only glared at the wall. "And I'll take _that_ as a yes. We'll talk later." Stefan glanced between them, noting Elena's rigid posture and Damon's apologetic eyes. He frowned. Damon never felt guilt. Damon never felt _anything_. Stefan wasn't sure he liked this development.

"No, we won't," Elena grumbled, causing Damon to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, we will, Elena." She groaned in frustration, tilting her head up to stare at the ceiling.

"God, just leave me alone, Damon," she bit out. "I don't want your excuses."

"Or we can talk about this now," Damon rolled his eyes, grabbing her arm and dragging her to the other room. This conversation definitely needed to be out of hearing range. She struggled against his grip, but he held her arm tightly.

"You're hurting her," Stefan growled, fangs showing now.

"Good, now we're even," was all Damon said, continuing to drag her alongside him. Then Stefan was in front of them, anger showing clearly.

"You should be glad I'm even leaving you two alone," he spat. "Now loosen your grip." Damon rolled his eyes, but slackened his hold on her nonetheless. "Thank you," Stefan muttered unhappily, before returning to the living room. He glanced back at them before he disappeared around the bend, and Damon grinned smugly. He knew Elena wouldn't stand for being ordered around, so Stefan really had no choice in the matter – she would see and acquaint herself with who she pleased. As soon as Stefan was gone Elena wrenched her arm from his grasp.

"Don't touch me," she hissed at him, eyes afire. He was slightly taken aback, but refused to show it.

"I didn't sleep with her," he murmured quietly to her, as if reading her mind.

"Oh, you would have if you had had enough time," she whispered angrily. "Don't try and deny it." He said nothing to that, and she knew she was right.

"Okay, Ms. Hypocrite. I could say the exact same thing about you and Stefan," he clenched and un-clenched his fists, still angry at the thought of them being together that way.

"That's not the same thing," she crossed her arms across her chest. "You have no idea-"

"Do you like it?" he suddenly growled at her.

"What?" she asked, slightly confused.

"His hands on you, the feel of him writhing on top of you, the way he says your name, _Elena_," he whispered breathily in her ear, blue eyes flashing. She flushed deep red, and his head whipped to the side as she slapped him as hard as she possibly could. He turned back to her slowly, nothing hurt but his pride. He had felt nothing from the hit of course, but once again he had let his desire for her get the best of him; for all he knew he had just lost the best thing that had ever happened to him. And with that he walked away from her, heading straight for the liquor cabinet. Grabbing a fresh bottle of whisky, he walked out the front door, slamming it shut behind him. She slid down the wall slowly and sat cross legged on the floor, barely noticing when Stefan came into the room minutes later.

"What happened?" he asked tiredly, not sounding like he really wanted to know at all. He himself was hurt – partially at the thought of their spent time together, and also because he was so left out of what seemed to be happening at this moment. It's like Elena was keeping things from him, like she had another life aside from the one including their relationship. But he loved her so much that his heart filled to the brim with empathy, so he sunk down on the floor next to her and allowed her to curl up against him, pretending he didn't see her watery eyes, or the stray tear that rolled down her cheek when she couldn't blink it away fast enough.

* * *

Alaric yawned, it was definitely too early for him to be driving. The way his headlights were illuminating the streets made them seem eerie and deserted, like he were in a ghost town intead of the city he called home. When he reached the boarding house he pulled into the driveway, tossing his heavy duffel bag over his shoulder – he had enough supplies to demolish a vampire_ army_. He tossed a stake up in the air, catching it in his hand. You could never be too prepared, he had come to darkness seemed heavy, and it chilled him to the bone. Bad things happened at this time of night, mystical things. He knew of more death and destruction than most people could ever dream of. Just then he spotted a figure in the darkness, walking around the Salvatore's front lawn slowly, deliberately even. "Hello?" he called out. The person didn't reply, only continued to pace. He started towards the figure quickly, his heart threatening to pound out of his chest. He had no idea who it could be, one of Katherine's minions maybe? The stake in his hand suddenly felt a lot heavier, and he swallowed hard. Time for action. So he swung his arm towards the person, catching them just below the heart.

"Damnit, Alaric!" the person yelped, falling to the grass and landing with a thud.

"Damon?" Alaric asked, surprised.

"No, it's Katherine – who the fuck did you think it was?" he asked between labored breaths. "What kind of fucking whacko goes after someone with a stake in said person's own yard?"

"You didn't answer me!" Alaric was panicking now.

"Well," Damon winced, attempting to stand to his feet. "Maybe that's because I didn't want to talk to you. I didn't think you'd go all Alaric the Vampire Hunter on me."

"Let's just get you inside. It's not fatal, obviously," he let out a sigh of relief.

"Not yet," Damon closed his eyes, pain evident on his face. "One wrong move and this baby is dunzo. Just help me inside." Alaric complied, helping Damon move towards the house slowly. As they walked inside Elena and Stefan glanced up at them from where they were huddled together, Elena's eyes rimmed with red from crying. "Actually, just finish it off now," he said sarcastically when his eyes caught a glimpse of them. Elena gasped, jumping up.

"What happened?" she rushed over, walking around Damon as she surveyed the damage. He waved her off.

"It's nothing, I don't need your help."

"Just found him _skulking_ around the yard," Alaric explained. "Thought he was working for Katherine, so I uh.. yeah – you get the idea. We didn't want to pull it out in the dark, I got him pretty close to the heart."

"I'll get it for you," she offered softly, reaching for the wood jutting out of him.

"I said, it's fine. I don't _want_ your help," he said angrily. She stepped back meekly, her hand falling limply by her side. "I can do it," he grabbed the end of the stake, "myself." And with that he pulled it out of him, droplets of blood flying in every direction before spattering against the walls and wood flooring. He held the piece of sharpened wood away from him and Elena and Alaric grimaced at the sight before them – the gaping hole in his chest wasn't exactly what you'd call pretty. He began to saunter away from them, still breathing heavily from the pain.

"Why isn't it healing?" Elena asked, preparing herself for rejection once more.

"Splinters," Stefan spoke up. "He's going to pick them out, which is a bitch to do."

"Once again, Alaric: A+," Damon winced as he attempted to give Alaric a thumbs up.

"Well your humor just never takes a day off, does it?" Alaric asked dryly, earning himself a swift punch to the gut. "Deserved, I know," he breathed out as he doubled over. Damon only hobbled away in response, Elena trailing after him.

"I know you're not in the mood, but if you'd quit being stubborn for half a second I can get them out for you," she placed her hands on her hips as he turned around, taking slow strides towards her. For a minute he only stared at her, cocking his head to one side, as if debating whether her concern was true. Then he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said genuinely, holding her face in his hands. "But you should go see Stefan right now."

"What?" she asked.

"_Right now_, Elena," Damon ordered, eyes closed as if in pain.

"Why?" Elena prodded, confused.

"Because I'm going to do something we'll both regret if you don't," he said slowly, staring into her eyes, urging her to catch on. And then she finally did, her face lighting up with realization.

"And wh-what would that be?" she stuttered, wanting him to say it. She needed him to say it.

"You damn well know what that would be," he said angrily. "Don't make me say it."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"You have ten seconds to stop me," was all he told her, face stony. "Ten, nine-" his face was inching closer to her own, and the proximity allowed a wave of his cologne to sweep over her – it smelled dangerous, just like him. The numbers began blurring together, and she found herself moving towards him on her own accord, her breath hitching as his lips brushed over hers slightly, tentatively – lighter than a whisper.

"One," she heard her own voice say, and it seemed louder than anything she had ever heard before. It spoke volumes to him too – she was against the wall in a moments time, thinking to herself how often she found herself in this position with him. His kisses were so unlike Stefan's – he was passionate, bruising, _hard_. Everything about him was so angry, so beautiful. Even the lightest of his touches left marks on her delicate skin, and he whispered apologies in her ears as he attacked her neck with his lips, kissing, suckling. She barely realized her head had dropped back, and her moans sounded gutteral, raw. He hoisted her up between kisses, and she automatically locked her legs around him, whimpering as she felt the friction between their bodies. Then they were on the floor, Damon hissing between his teeth. "Huh?" she asked dazedly, before remembering the gash on his chest. "Oh!" She proceeded to jump upright, dragging him along with her to the washroom, albeit slowly given his gaping wound. She had tweezers in her hand before he could blink.

"Elena," her name came out in a strangled moan. "Please. I don't have anyone anymore. I have no one," he pleaded, shoulders hunched in defeat. Her eyes watered in sympathy, and she dropped the tweezers to the floor before she pulled him to her. She planted the sweetest kiss she could muster on his lips, attempting to show him that there _was _someone in this world who cared for him. That _she _cared for him. His arms enclosed around her, and she held him as tightly as she could without hurting him. He began to shake silently, and she realized that Damon, _Damon_ Salvatore, was crying. She couldn't call the feeling that swept over her anything but cold, raw, chilling fear. When you realize your rock isn't as strong as you thought, it shakes your whole foundation.

* * *

So I _know_ Damon's completely out of character, and so is Elena, but they've been through a traumatic _one_ day, hahaha. Like honest to god, I totally have not put in one night of sleep yet! I probably should get on that ;) but yeah, I figured they'd be kind of exhausted/delirious/everyone keeps asking me for a Damon/Elena scene so _here it is _WHOO :) don't hate. Not exactly M material yet, but don't worry, we'll get there soon enough! **Review review review**! Last chapter I had a huge dip in reviews :( made me sad! Let's try and get at least 15! :) :) :)


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